Inside Olia concept store in Tel Aviv. Photo by Abigail Klein Leichman. The modern olive-oil industry in Israel is fairly young, but producers are seeing brilliant results and rising recognition.
As more people around the world reach for a bottle of extra-virgin olive oil for dressing salads, frying, baking and even drinking, a revived ancient industry in Israel is getting attention in global markets and competitions.
Interest in Israeli olive oil mirrors the burgeoning Israeli wine scene, but it’s a newer phenomenon, says Hilla Wenkert, an international olive-oil judge and owner of Olia, a concept store in Tel Aviv stocked with oils made of Leccino, Coratina, Koroneiki, Souri and other varieties grown in Israel.
“People started to be more aware of their well-being and the health benefits of olive oil. It started as a trend, and now it’s part of daily life,” Wenkert tells ISRAEL21c.
In the past few years, Israeli land devoted to modern olive groves has increased to some 330,000 dunams (81,000 acres) from a mere 2,000 dunams. Every year, between 15,000 and 16,000 tons of extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) is produced. Only about 1,000 tons get exported – a tiny stream compared to Spanish and Italian oil.
However, at the recent Summer Fancy Food Show in New York, distributors showed much interest in Israeli olive oil, says Wenkert.
“The world is full of Italian, Spanish, Greek, Turkish, Moroccan and Tunisian olive oil, but most of it is lower quality because many people cannot afford the good stuff,” she says.
Israeli EVOO rates as the “good stuff” for which discriminating consumers are willing to pay more. Israel’s growers and oil producers work with agricultural researchers on methods to yield premium unrefined extra virgin. “Virgin” means it comes from the first pressing, while “extra” signifies low acidity, both critical factors in a high-quality oil.
Olives harvested for oil at Karmey Yosef. Photo by Gili Yaari / Flash 90
“Virgin oil is a fresh fruit juice, while refined is an industrial product,” says Zohar Kerem, a food chemist specializing in olives at the Hebrew University’s Institute of Biochemistry, Food Science and Nutrition. Though refined oil is cheaper, flavor and health benefits are lost in the process, he tells ISRAEL21c.
‘From the tree to the stone’
Argentinean émigré Moshe Spak decided it’s high time Israeli olive oil got its due.
“Everyone knows about Israeli expertise in other areas, but not about olive-oil quality,” says Spak, founder and director of the Terra Olivo Mediterranean International Extra Virgin Olive Oil Competition in Israel, founded four years ago.
The 2013 contest, judged by an international panel of 25 expert tasters, drew 489 entries from 21 countries. The overall Israeli champion was a Picholine variety from Meshek Achiya.
Several factors account for the exceptional profile of Israeli olive oil, Kerem explains.
First, most Israeli olives are irrigated with salty (brackish) and purified wastewater. This adds natural fertilizers to the soil and does not compromise the fruit’s quality.
Second, harvesting is completed within the ideal window of October to December. In many other countries, the process goes on through March, when olives are past their prime.
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